Enabling Communities in Jharkhand in India to diversify in Economic Opportunities
Kalyan Singh, a farmer has spent his life in poverty, the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns have made things more difficult for him. With no stable source of income, an elderly person like him was unable to afford even two meals every day. He applied for the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, an initiative of the central government but he was unable to receive the benefits. He spent a whole year trying to get the benefits and even spent a lot of money on travelling to government offices.
Kalyan Singh then approached DEF’s SoochnaPreneur in Jharkhand, Shiv Kumari. Shiv Kumari did an investigation by approaching Kalyan’s bank and found out that the benefits were going to another man and his name was also Kalyan Singh. He had been getting the benefits that Kalyan was entitled to. Shiv Kumari then opened a new bank account for Kalyan and re-applied for the government scheme. Now Kalyan receives the benefits entitled to him every month. This helps him sustain his living costs as he doesn’t have another stable source of income.
Shiv Kumari has also been spreading awareness about the rise in fraud cases and how to identify fraud. All of DEF’s SoochnaPreneurs through their training over the years have become village level fact checkers.
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